Haas confirms Grosjean for 2016

Haas Formula 1 has confirmed that Romain Grosjean will race for the team when it makes its debut in the sport in 2016.

Haas had hoped to sign a current driver with experience and the outfit has signed Grosjean from Lotus ahead of its maiden campaign in the sport.

The identity of Grosjean’s team-mate has not yet been confirmed, though Esteban Gutiérrez is expected to fill the seat.

"We wanted an experienced driver capable of developing our car and our race team into one that can score points and better itself each race and each season. We found him in Romain Grosjean," said Gene Haas.

"I’ve been involved in motorsports for a long time and learned early on the most crucial component is the driver. Romain has strong credentials and he will be an important asset to Haas F1 Team."

"What Gene Haas and everyone at Haas F1 Team is building is impressive, and I’m very proud to be a part of it," Grosjean said.

"Formula One is incredibly competitive and the only way to succeed is by finding new ways of doing things. This is a new opportunity with a new team that is taking a very different approach to Formula One.

"I believe in their approach and they believe in me. While I am committed to giving my absolute best to my current team in these last five races, I am very excited for what the future holds at Haas F1 Team."

Grosjean made his Formula 1 debut with Renault mid-2009, having been part of the manufacturers’ junior driver programme.

However, he struggled in a troublesome environment and was left without a drive for 2010, when he stepped back to sportscars and returned to the GP2 Series.

Grosjean swept to the GP2 crown in 2011 and earned another shot with the Enstone-based team for 2012, which was rebranded as Lotus.

Grosjean displayed his pace alongside Kimi Räikkönen and claimed podiums but was involved in several high-profile incidents, including at Belgium, after which he was banned for one race.

Grosjean was kept on for 2013 and after some initial problems he emerged as one of the stars of the second half of the campaign, regularly challenging the dominant Red Bull team.

Lotus struggled to adapt to the 2014 regulations and Grosjean could only scrap for a handful of points, before a move to Mercedes power units this year aided the squad’s progress, enabling the Frenchman to return to the podium in Belgium.